Ever-youthful Gary Stevens put an exclamation point on his remarkable comeback this season when riding Mucho Macho Man to a thrilling nose victory in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic Nov. 2 at Santa Anita Park.

Mucho Macho Man, after opening a clear advantage past mid-stretch, dug in for the final strides and prevailed over fast-closing Will Take Charge and Declaration of War in the rich event that culminated two days of tremendous racing at Santa Anita.

Coupled with his win aboard Beholder in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff a day earlier, the 50-year-old Hall of Fame rider captured both featured events of this year’s World Championships.

“This was a tremendous experience to win this race at my age," said Stevens, who appeared to be blinking back tears as he accepted a tremendous ovation from the Breeders’ Cup crowd. "I never expected to be in this situation. This is the ultimate feeling. It’s the icing on the cake of my career